Cushioned underframe for railway car



Jan. 28, 1964 A. zANow 3,119,500

CUSHIONED UNDERFRAME FOR RAILWAY CAR Filed June 26, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN V EN TOR ANDREY I .ZANOW Jan. 28, 1964 A. zANow CUSHIONED UNDERFRAME FOR RAILWAY CAR 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 26. 1961 INVENTOR. l By ANDREYLZANOWl ATTORNEY United States Patent O 3,119,509 CUSHNED UNDEMRAME FR RALWAY CAR Andrey L. Zanow, Cieveiand, Ohio, assigner to National Castings Company, a corporation of Uhio Filed .lune 2o, 196i, Ser. No. 119,363 13 Claims. (Cl. Z13- 8) This invention relates generally to railway car cushioned underframe construction and, particularly, to an arrangement for supporting an assembly including essentially a coupler, a draft gear, and a yoke within the car underframe.

The present invention, though applicable to non-sliding sill type of car underframe, arises primarily through efforts to improve the so-called sliding sill type of underframe construction characterized by a draft-and-bufi column housed within the fixed hollow center sill of the car. In such construction the column comprises a coupleryoke-draft gear assembly at each end supported in some manner within the end portions of the center sill.

An underframe and, hence the car itself, is thus enabled to move relatively to the draft column and permitted to deceierate or accelerate less rapidly than the draft column relative to the track during car impacts with a consequent lessening of impact forces on the lading.

In efforts to increase the effectiveness of sliding sill systems by increasing the range of the movement of the draft column relative to the parent vehicle, structural features of the known systems are found to prevent attainment of desired ranges of movement. For example, in one system it is impractical to support draft gear and yoke assemblies within the ends of the draft column by structure fixed to the fixed sill over the full range of movement of the column relative to the fixed sill, eg., over ranges of 3 to 5 feet.

Objects of the present invention include: providing a simplified sliding sill type car underfrarne and a buff-anddraft column having an improved arrangement for supporting the column within the center sill of the underframe; in particular, providing an arrangement adapting the column for ranges of travel, eg., 48 inches relative to the underframe wherein the draft gear, yoke, and coupler assembly are supported with a minimum of structure xed to the underframe and with a minimum of wear, due to friction on parts of the assembly; and minimizing maintenance and assembly expenses of equipment as compared with present types of cushioned underframes.

The invention, in brief, resides in a railway car draft rigging comprising sill structure for mounting a car coupler adapted for support within the car underframe, either in fixed or movable relation with the car, such structure having a front opening for receiving a coupler shank, and an upwardly facing shelf or support surface spaced rearwardly and horizontally from the front opening, a draft gear pocket defined by front and rear stops fixed within the structure interposing the pocket between and in spaced relation with the shelf and the front end of the structure, and an upwardly facing cross-support spaced forwardly of the pocket in generally horizontal relation with the lower side of the front opening. The structure is open in a vertical direction either above or below the pocket for passage of a yoke and draft gear in assembled condition into and out of the pocket.

The structure just described is thus adapted to receive as a part of the aforementioned rigging, an assembly comprising: (l) a yoke having a front head portion, an intermediate sash portion, and a rear neb portion providing an undersurface projecting rearwardly and horizontally from the sash portion; (2) a coupler having a shank of which the butt portion is connected with the yoke head portion, and (3) a draft gear contained in the sash portion and adapted to fit between the front and rear stops of the Patented Jan. 28, i954 ICC pocket. In operative position of the rigging, the assembly is supported in the aforenamed structure with the draft gear disposed between the stops, the coupler shank resting on the cross-support, and the neb portion resting on the shelf surface rearwardly of the pocket.

In the drawing with respect to which the invention is described:

FlG. l is a shortened elevation in longitudinal vertical central section of a fixed center sill and a draft column of a cushioned underframe.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary section in plan of a coupler shank-supporting portion of the draft column of FIG. l.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary interior elevation of a draft column wal-l and retaining plate carried thereon for maintaining a yoke and coupler connecting key in place.

FIG. 4 is a transverse vertical section of the fixed center sill land an end housing of the column with the draft gear removed, taken along line IV-I`V of FIG. 7.

FiG. 5 is a transverse vertical section of the fixed center sill and the draft column amidships of a vehicle along line V-V of FIG. l.

FIG. 6 is an Aenlarged fragmentary plan view with parts in section of end portions of the fixed sill and draft column shown in FIG. l.

FIG, 7 is an enlarged fragmentary elevation with parts in section of the structure illustrated in FIG. 6.

Proceeding now to a detailed description of the invention, HG. l illustrates in elevation that portion of a cushioned underframe of :a railway vehicle comprising a fixed center sill il@ forming a transversely central and integral longitudinal portion of the frame, and a buff-and-draft column lll supported within the sill lil on plates 12 and 14 attached to the extremities of the sill.

The integral structure of FIG. l is divided for purposes of illustration into parts A and B and shortened at various points along its length by deletion of longitudinal sections. As shown, the column ll is supported along the bottom of the fixed sill l@ on cross member means of the center sill fixed to, and bridging, the bottoms of the sidewalls of the sill at five principal points. Proceeding from left to right and from part B to part A, the column ll rests (l) on the plate i4 at the extreme left end of the sill7 (2) by a reinforced toe portion l'7 on a member 18 surrounding a bolster pin 19 and known commonly as a center filler casting, (3) by a longitudinally central box portion Ztl of the column (see FIG. 5) on one or more brackets 22 bolted to opposite bottom flanges 23 and 24 of the fixed sill lil, (4) on a center filler plate or member 25, and (5) on plate l2 secured to the extreme right end of the sill.

The general arrangement of the amidships cushioning system illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 5 for snubbing the car with respect to shock sustained by the column -lll is gcnerally similar to that disclosed in the Baillie and Willison application, Serial No. 825,043. A cushioning unit 3l) preferably of the hydraulic `cylinder and spring-return type is received in a pocket of the center sill terminating longitudinally on two transverse keys 311 and 32 fixed and secured, `as sho-wn in FIG. 5, against escape from two complementary apertures therefor in the sill. The column ll is longitudinally slotted at 34, 35 and provided with horizontal webs 37 adjacent the slot 34 and similar webs 318 adjacent the slot 35 which permit movement of the column relative to the sill while compressing the unit 30 as either set of webs 37, 31S is brought into play by a movement in one direction yor other of the column.

The box portion Ztl of the beam is of larger transverse dimensions than the H portion lr6 of the beam and serves to stiften the column amidships of the car. However, the box portion functions essentially as a housing in conjunction with the bottom closure panel 40 for the unit 3i). The closure 4d may be attached to section 20 by bolts as shown.

The invention resides primarily in the structure illustrated by FIGS. 6 and 7. As shown in FIG. 1, the housings 42 protrude from each end of the sill 1t), thus making the column somewhat longer than the sill. Observable herein is the column i1 terminating at each end in a podlike housing 42 having a front opening 43 defined along its upper periphery by a forward facing striker wall 44. The housing 42 further comprises an undersupport for a coupler shank 72, such as a bridge or cross piece 45 including a wear plate 46 defining the bottom portion of the opening 43, and lateral walls 47, 4S. The latter are joined by the cross piece i5 and define the side portions of the periphery of the opening 43 as shown in FIG. 6. The housing 42 is joined with the H-beam portion 16 of the column as by welds as shown in FIG. 6 at each end of the overlapping wall portions of the housing and the H- bearn port-ion. The ends cf the flanges 51, 52 abut with the rear stops 53, 55 as shown in FG. 6. Front stops 56, 57 cooperate with the rear stops to define a pocket for a draft gear 58 including front and rear followers 61, 62.

The H-beam portion of the column comprises a horizontal web 64 recessed in a rearward direction from the draft gear to provide a slot 65 of which the rear portion 66 `is bridged by an upward-facing bearing plate 67.-

Looking internally of the housing 42, the draft gear 53 is encircled by the sash portion 63 of a yoke 169. The yoke further comprises a forward bifurcate head portion 71 for receiving the shank 72 of a coupler 73. The butt of the shank and the yoke head portion are interconnected by a transversely extending key 74 of the conformation which is iiat in the horizontal direction and generally complementary to horizontally attened slots of the yoke and coupled shank in transverse registry.

The region between the bifurcate sections of the yoke head opens rearwardly into the region encircled by the sash portion 68 of the yoke ywhereby the rearward facing butt surface 78 may engage the front follower 62. Hence, the region within the sash portion may be somewhat longer than the length of the draft gear pocket. This enables the use of a draft gear which, at neutral condition of the draft rigging, maintains contact with the front and rear stops under a condition of initial compression.

The yoke 69 further comprises a rear neb portion 80 in integral connection with the sash portion and extending rearwardly therefrom. The neb portion has a horizontal, downwardly-facing undersurface 81 adapted to engage an upwardly-facing bearing sur-face 82 dened by a boss portion 84 of the plate A67. It may be observed that the yoke in resting upon surface 32, is supported at a clearance with the column supporting plate 12 thus allowing the yoke to be supported and traversed by the column 11 in upward independent relation with the plate 12 or other cross member means of the sill. Hence, as illustrated, the assembly, including the yoke 69, the draft gear 58, the coupler 73, and the key 74 is supported at two points. These points are provided by the bearing plate 67 and the cross-piece 45. When the head of the coupler 73 is so disposed forwardly of the cross-piece 45 as to locate the center of gravity of the coupler forwardly of the crosspiece, the coupler butt ywill tend to urge the yoke into contact with the ceiling wall S6 of the housing 42.

A further relationship to be noted is that the draft column is sufficiently open between the opening 4;-3 and the rear extremity 66 of the slot 65 (assuming the plate 12 removed) to enable the yoke with the draft gear inserted in its sash portion into place, as shown when the plate 66 is removed. To facilitate the entry of the yoke and draft gear from below, in accordance with the embodiment shown, the cross-piece 45 is notched along its rearward edge adjacent the walls 47, t8 4at points 91 and 92, respectively, as shown in FIG. 2. lt is also possible to have the housing i2 opening upwardly of the pocket along a length equal to that shown opening downwardly to permit installation of the yoke and draft gear from overhead the column.

The coupler, as one unit, and the yoke containing the draft gear as the other unit, must be positioned separately with-in the housing 42 and then connected within the column by insertion of the key 74. Hence, the housing e2 is constructed for positive retention of the key within the yoke-draft gear-coupler assembly, and further constructed with means permitting convenient removal or insertion of the key from the assembly through the housing side wall 48.

Accordingly, the wall 48 is provided with a horizontally elongate opening 94 in registry with the end of the key 74 at its neutral position, as shown in FIG. 6. The opening 9a is somewhat larger than the cross-section of the key for facile passage of the key therethrough. The key 74 is positively retained in its position connecting the coupler and yoke by a small, flat, plate-like retainer 96 supported along the inner side of the wall 48, as shown in FlG. 3. The retainer 96 is thus disposed in substantially face-toface contact with the wall over a substantial portion of the key opening 94 within a pocket by thickened wall portions 97, 9S of the wall 48 providing danges 97a, 93a, respectively, overlapping the side of the retainer 96 facing away from the wall 48. Ribs 101, 102 aire apertured in a vertical direction parallel to the plane of the wall surface 4S to receive the retainer. The ceiling wall 86 has an opening v104i elongated in the longitudinal direction of the column directly overhead the position of support shown in FIG. 9 for inserting in or withdrawing the retainer from the column housing 42. The ceiling 86 has a downwardly extending tab 105 in spaced relation with the wall d3. Threaded coaxial holes through the tab and the wall receive a lock screw 106 having the purpose of bridging the aperture 104 to prevent accidental passage of the retainer from its position of support within the column.

The cushioned underfrarne system described hereinabove permits telescoping action of the draft column 11 relative to the center sill. The practical range of this action presently contemplated is restricted essentially by the range of movement afforded bythe amidships cushioning installation and not by any of the previous structural limitations of the column and the center sill adjacent the ends of the car. The coupler, draft gear and yoke assembly is supported solely within the draft column thereby permitting plates 12 and 14 to be exempted from this supporting function and used primarily for the purpose of supporting the column as a whole. For this reason, the plates 12 and 14 may be of much shorter length than when they must be used for draft gear and yoke support. Consequently, construction in accordance with the invention is greatly simplified, lighter, and of less cost.

The terms and expressions which have been employed are used as terms of description and not of limitation, and there is no intention of excluding such equivalents of the invention described or of the portions thereof as fall within the scope of the claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Railway car draft rigging comprising: a hollow center sill adapted for integration within a car underframe; a buif-and-draft column received in the center sill; said center sill having means for slidably supporting the column within the sill; said column comprising a housing at one end thereof having a front opening, and an undersupport bridging the housing adjacent the respective end of the column; longitudinally spaced front and rear stop means fixed within the column between which to dispose a draft gear within a rearward portion of said housing; means on said column providing an upwardly-facing support surface rearwardly of the rear stop means; a coupler comprising a head disposed forwardly of the housing and a shank extending into the housing through said opening; an assembly received in said housing comprising said shank, a yoke having a front head portion connected with said shank, an intermediate sash portion, and a rear neb portion providing an undersurface projecting-rearwardly and horizontally from the sash portion to rest slidably on said upwardly-facing support surface, and a draft gear disposed within said sash portion for engagement with said front and rear stop means; said shank resting on said undersupport; said undersupport and upwardly-facing support surface being arranged at levels for supporting said assembly independently of said center sill to permit movement of the assembly longitudinally with respect to either or both the center sill and the column; said housing with said assembly carried therein being in telescopic relation with the adjacent end of the center sill.

2. Railway car draft rigging comprising: a hollow center sill adapted for integration within a car underframe; a buif-and-draft column received in the center sill; said center sill having means for slidably supporting the column within the sill; said column comprising a housing at each end thereof; each housing having a front opening, and an undersupport bridging the housing adjacent to respective ends of the column; each housing, at a longitudinally centered position of the column relative to the sill, projecting beyond the adjacent end of the center sill; longitudinally spaced front and rear stop means fixed within opposite end portions of the column between which to dispose a draft gear within a rearward portion of each housing; means providing an upwardly facing support surface disposed adjacently inwardly of the column from each rear stop means; a coupler associated with each housing and comprising a head, disposed outwardly thereof and a shank extending into the adjacent housing through said opening; an assembly received in each housing comprising the shank of the associated coupler, a yoke having a front head portion connected with said shank, an intermediate sash portion, and a rear neb portion providing an undersurface projecting rearwardly and horizontally from the sash portion to rest slidably on said upward facing support surface, and a draft gear disposed within said sash portion and between said front and rear stop means, respectively; said housing having an opening in vertical relation with said pocket and regions immediately forward and rearward of the pocket; said draft gear in assembled relation with the yoke being movable in vertical direction from said pocket and said housing; said undersupport and upwardly facing support surface associated with each housing being arranged at levels for supporting said assembly independently of said center sill to permit movement of said assembly longitudinally with respect to either or both the center sill and the column; each housing with the assembly carried therein being in telescopic relation with the adjacent end of the center sill.

3. Railway car draft rigging comprising: a hollow center sill adapted for integration within a car underframe; a buif-and-draft column received in the center sill; said center sill having cross member means bridging the bottom of the center sill and supporting the column within said sill; said column comprising a housing at one end havinfT a front opening, an undersupport bridging the housing adjacent the respective end of the column, and longitudinally spaced front and rear stops having opposed horizontally-facing vertically-extending surfaces defining a draft gear pocket within a rearward portion of the housing; means providing an upwardly facing support surface rearwardly of the rear stops; a coupler comprising a head disposed forwardly of the housing and a shank extending into the housing to said opening; an assembly received in said housing comprising said shank, a yoke having a front head portion connected with said shank, an intermediate sash portion, and a rear neb portion providing an undersurface projecting rearwardly and horizontally from the sash portion to rest slidably on said upwardly facing support surface, and a draft gear disposed within said sash portion comprising front and rear followers normally engaged with said front and rear stop means, respectively; said shank resting on said undersupport; said undersupport and upwardly facing support surface being arranged at levels for supporting said assembly independently of the outer sill and movably longitudinally in respect to either or both the center sill and the column; said housing with said assembly carried therein being in telescopic relation with the adjacent end of the center sill; said housing being vertically open with respect to said pocket and regions immediately rearwardly and forwardly of the pocket for removal of the draft gear and the yoke as a unit from the housing.

4. The railway car draft rigging of claim 3 wherein: said housing is open in said vertical direction along the bottom of the pocket and comprises a top wall overlying said pocket and having a flat horizontal undersurface for engaging the top surface of the yoke in guide relationship.

5. The railway car draft rigging of claim 3 wherein: said housing comprises a front striker portion defining the upper side of the periphery of said opening, and said undersupport defines the lower side of said periphery.

6. The railway car draft rigging of claim 3 wherein: said housing is open in one vertical direction from the pocket and open forwardly and rearwardly of said pocket for a total length including that of the pocket equal t0 that enabling the yoke and the draft gear carried in said sash portion to be transferred while maintained in generally horizontal longitudinal alignment from a position underneath the housing to a position placing said draft gear in the pocket; and readily detachable means providing said support surface and attachable to said column rearwardly of the pocket to place the support in an upwardly facing supporting relation with said undersurface.

7. The railway car draft rigging of claim 3 wherein: said direction in which said housing is open is downward; and said assembly comprises means for pivotally connecting the yoke head portion to the coupler shank limiting pivotal movement of the coupler relative to the yoke to a horizontal plane.

8. The railway car draft rigging of claim 3 wherein: said connecting means comprises said yoke head portion and shank having slots in transverse registry forming a horizontal transverse passageway through said portions of horizontally Hat cross section in the longitudinal direction of the rigging and a horizontally liat key extending through the slots of vertical dimension closely complementary to that of the slots.

9. Railway car draft rigging comprising: a hollow center sill adapted for integration within a car underframe; a buif-and-draft column received in the center sill; said sill having cross member means bridging the bottom of the sill and supporting the column therewithin; said column comprising a housing at each end extending substantially outwardly from the end of the center sill at a longitudinally centered position of the column relative to the sill; each housing having a front opening and an undersupport bridging the housing adjacent to the lower side of the opening; means having an upwardly facing support surface fixed within the column in longitudinally inwardly spaced relation with said undersupport and cooperating therewith to provide two-point support above and independently of the center sill for an assembly comprising a coupler, a yoke attached thereto and a draft gear disposed within the yoke; said housing having internally disposed longitudinally spaced stops defining a draft gear pocket in intermediate spaced relation with said undersupport and said upwardly facing surface; each housing proportioned relatively to the sill to effect telescoping relation with said center sill and with one of said assemblies carried thereby.

10. The railway car draft rigging of claim 9 wherein the housings are open along the bottom of the pocket and forwardly and rearwardly of said pocket for total length exceeding the length of the pocket enabling transfer of a yoke and draft gear in assembled condition into or out of said housing.

11. The railway car draft rigging of claim l0 wherein: said means providing the upwardly facing surface cornprises a removable plate and means for fastening the plate to another portion of the column.

12. The railway car draft rigging ori claim 10 wherein: said column is movable from its neural position to dispose an open bottom portion of the housing longitudinally outwardly from any portions oli the cross member means.

13. The railway car draft rigging of claim 10 wherein: said means having said upwardly-facing support surface compiises a readily detachable plate; and any of the said cross member means disposed under said open bottom portion of the housing at said neutral position is readily detachable from said sill.

References Cited in the file of this patent 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,166,906 Harvey Ian. 4, 1916 1,252,296 OConnor Jan. 1, 1918 3,006,483 Baillie et a1. Oct. 31, 1961 l0 UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE CERTIFICATE 0F CGRRECTION- Patent N0B 3, 119,500 January 28V 1964 Andrey L. Zanow It s hereby Certified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

Column 4, line 218, for "FIG 9" read n FIGo 3 a Signed and sealed this 23rd day of June 1964l ERNEST WQ SWIDER EDWARD J. BRENNER ltesting Officer Commissioner of Patents 

3. RAILWAY CAR DRAFT RIGGING COMPRISING: A HOLLOW CENTER SILL ADAPTED FOR INTEGRATION WITHIN A CAR UNDERFRAME; A BUFF-AND-DRAFT COLUMN RECEIVED IN THE CENTER SILL; SAID CENTER SILL HAVING CROSS MEMBER MEANS BRIDGING THE BOTTOM OF THE CENTER SILL AND SUPPORTING THE COLUMN WITHIN SAID SILL; SAID COLUMN COMPRISING A HOUSING AT ONE END HAVING A FRONT OPENING, AN UNDERSUPPORT BRIDGING THE HOUSING ADJACENT THE RESPECTIVE END OF THE COLUMN, AND LONGITUDINALLY SPACED FRONT AND REAR STOPS HAVING OPPOSED HORIZONTALLY-FACING VERTICALLY-EXTENDING SURFACES DEFINING A DRAFT GEAR POCKET WITHIN A REARWARD PORTION OF THE HOUSING; MEANS PROVIDING AN UPWARDLY FACING SUPPORT SURFACE REARWARDLY OF THE REAR STOPS; A COUPLER COMPRISING A HEAD DISPOSED FORWARDLY OF THE HOUSING AND A SHANK EXTENDING INTO THE HOUSING TO SAID OPENING; AN ASSEMBLY RECEIVED IN SAID HOUSING COMPRISING SAID SHANK, A YOKE HAVING A FRONT HEAD PORTION CONNECTED WITH SAID SHANK, AN INTERMEDIATE SASH PORTION, AND A REAR NEB PORTION PROVIDING AN UNDERSURFACE PROJECTING REARWARDLY AND HORIZONTALLY FROM THE SASH PORTION TO REST SLIDABLY ON SAID UPWARDLY FACING SUPPORT SURFACE, AND A DRAFT GEAR DISPOSED WITHIN SAID SASH PORTION COMPRISING FRONT AND REAR FOLLOWERS NORMALLY ENGAGED WITH SAID FRONT AND REAR STOP MEANS, RESPECTIVELY; SAID SHANK RESTING ON SAID UNDERSUPPORT; SAID UNDERSUPPORT AND UPWARDLY FACING SUPPORT SURFACE BEING ARRANGED AT LEVELS FOR SUPPORTING SAID ASSEMBLY INDEPENDENTLY OF THE OUTER SILL AND MOVABLY LONGITUDINALLY IN RESPECT TO EITHER OR BOTH THE CENTER SILL AND THE COLUMN; SAID HOUSING WITH SAID ASSEMBLY CARRIED THEREIN BEING IN TELESCOPIC RELATION WITH THE ADJACENT END OF THE CENTER SILL; SAID HOUSING BEING VERTICALLY OPEN WITH RESPECT TO SAID POCKET AND REGIONS IMMEDIATELY REARWARDLY AND FORWARDLY OF THE POCKET FOR REMOVAL OF THE DRAFT GEAR AND THE YOKE AS A UNIT FROM THE HOUSING. 